System and method for precise positioning with touchscreen gestures

Abstract

A system and method for precise positioning of items such as communication pings in a map of a multiplayer game with touchscreen gestures. Specifically, the method can include displaying a dynamic image or map on a touchscreen and receiving a touch gesture thereon. The touch gesture can begin at a tool selection icon and end at a release location within the map. Then the method can include, in response to the touch gesture, displaying a precision placement tool that depicts a portion of the map obscured by the received touch gesture. The depiction can be an enlarged depiction of the obscured portion and is displayed outside of the obscured portion. Finally, the method can include displaying a change to the map at the release location when the touch gesture ends. Specifically, at the release location, items such as communication pings can be placed onto the map.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method for precise location selection of a dynamic image, the method comprising:
 displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) including the dynamic image on a touchscreen; 
 receiving a touch gesture on the displayed GUI, wherein the touch gesture begins at a tool selection icon that is separate from the dynamic image and ends at a release location within the dynamic image; and 
 as the touch gesture is being received over a portion of the dynamic image and the portion is being obscured by the touch gesture, displaying a precision placement tool that depicts the obscured portion of the dynamic image. 
 
     
     
       2. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the depiction is an enlarged depiction of the obscured portion of the dynamic image. 
     
     
       3. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic image is a dynamic map depicting both fixed and movable graphic objects of a multi-player game. 
     
     
       4. The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , further comprising displaying a change to the dynamic image at the release location on the dynamic image. 
     
     
       5. The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the change to the dynamic image is a placement of a communication ping onto the dynamic image, wherein the communication ping is viewable by a plurality of players in the multi-player game at a location within the multi-player game associated with the release location. 
     
     
       6. The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein the precision placement tool further depicts a reticle as an overlay to the depiction. 
     
     
       7. The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , further comprising, in response to the reticle intersecting one of the fixed or movable graphic objects, displaying or visually altering a visual context indicator associated with the one of the fixed or movable graphic objects. 
     
     
       8. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the depiction is displayed in a fixed, pre-determined location on the touchscreen regardless of a location of the obscured portion. 
     
     
       9. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the precision placement tool comprises an enlarged depiction of the portion of the dynamic image obscured and one or more visual context indicators communicating what type of action will be performed to the dynamic image at the release location on the dynamic image. 
     
     
       10. The computer-implemented method of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more visual context indicators communicate at least one of the following:
 a signal type to be communicated to a plurality of players in a multiplayer game associated with the dynamic image at the release location, and 
 a target object on the dynamic image that the signal type will be associated with at the release location. 
 
     
     
       11. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:
 displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) including the dynamic image on a touchscreen; 
 receiving a touch gesture on the displayed GUI, wherein the touch gesture begins at a tool selection icon that is separate from the dynamic image and ends at a release location within the dynamic image; 
 as the touch gesture is being received over a portion of the dynamic image and the portion is being obscured by the touch gesture, displaying a precision placement tool that depicts the obscured portion of the dynamic image, wherein the depiction is an enlarged depiction of the obscured portion and is displayed outside of the obscured portion; and 
 displaying a change to the dynamic image at the release location on the dynamic image when the touch gesture ends. 
 
     
     
       12. The non-transitory computer storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the depiction is displayed in a fixed, pre-determined location on the touchscreen regardless of a location of the obscured portion. 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory computer storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the depiction is displayed in a predetermined direction and distance from the obscured portion throughout the touch gesture and the precision placement tool further comprises a connecting graphic that extends from the obscured portion to the depiction. 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the precision placement tool comprises one or more visual context indicators communicating what type of action will be performed to the dynamic image at the release location on the dynamic image. 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more visual context indicators communicate at least one of the following:
 a signal type to be communicated to a plurality of players in a multiplayer game associated with the dynamic image at the release location, and 
 a target object on the dynamic image that the signal type will be associated with at the release location. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the dynamic image is a dynamic map depicting both fixed and movable graphic objects of a multi-player game and the change to the dynamic image is a placement of a communication ping onto the dynamic image, wherein the communication ping is viewable by a plurality of players in the multi-player game at a location within the multi-player game associated with the release location. 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the precision placement tool further depicts a reticle as an overlay to the depiction. 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the computer-useable instructions further cause the one or more computing devices to perform: displaying or visually altering, in response to the reticle intersecting a particular one of the fixed or movable graphic objects, a visual context indicator associated with the particular one of the fixed or movable graphic objects. 
     
     
       19. A system for precise location selection of a dynamic image, the system comprising:
 at least one processor; 
 at least one data storage device communicably coupled with the at least one processor, wherein the data storage device comprises a non-transitory computer storage medium storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: 
 displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) including the dynamic image on a touchscreen, wherein the dynamic image includes a dynamic map depicting both fixed and movable graphic objects of a multiplayer game; 
 receiving a touch gesture on the displayed dynamic image, wherein the touch gesture begins at a tool selection icon that is separate from the dynamic image and ends at a release location within the dynamic image; 
 as the touch gesture is being received over a portion of the dynamic image and the portion is being obscured by the touch gesture, displaying a precision placement tool that depicts the obscured portion of the dynamic image, wherein the depiction is an enlarged depiction of the obscured portion and is displayed outside of the obscured portion, wherein the precision placement tool further comprises one or more visual context indicators communicating what type of action will be performed to the dynamic image at the release location on the dynamic image; and 
 displaying a change to the dynamic image at the release location on the dynamic image when the touch gesture ends corresponding to the action. 
 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19 , wherein the precision placement tool further depicts a reticle as an overlay to the depiction, wherein the computer-useable instructions further cause the at least one processor to perform: displaying or visually altering, in response to the reticle intersecting a particular one of the fixed or movable graphic objects, a visual context indicator associated with the particular one of the fixed or movable graphic objects.